The Devoted Dreamers Podcast
What if the dream in your heart was placed there by God for a reason? Merritt Onsa, host of The Devoted Dreamers Podcast, helps Christian women in midlife find the courage to pursue their God-shaped dreams—even when fear, doubt, and imposter syndrome say they’re not ready. Through real conversations with women living out their callings and short solo episodes full of biblical truth and encouragement, you’ll discover: ✨ How to move forward even when you feel unqualified ✨ The source of lies that keep dreamers stuck (and the truth that sets you free) ✨ Practical wisdom for taking the next brave step with God This is your safe place to wrestle with questions about how to move forward, get clarity for your calling, and remember you don’t have to do it alone. Together we're building a community of sisters in Christ who will remind you where your hope lies and encourage you to keep taking the next step. If you’re ready to stop second-guessing and start walking boldly with Jesus toward the life He’s calling you to, you’re in the right place.
Episodes
~ This week marks 10 years of the Devoted Dreamers podcast, and I am celebrating by sharing one of my favorite conversations from the archives.
Author, speaker, and college instructor, Heather Holleman, PhD, loves helping women fall in love with the Bible and with Jesus. She believes God's Word is so powerful that it creates life where there is none, and she has built her entire calling around helping women tak...
Does the fear of getting it wrong keep you from moving forward on your dream project?
This is one of the most common concerns I hear from Christian women who are looking for the courage to trust God with something that matters deeply. This episode is for you if you’ve ever wondered whether you’re hearing Him right, whether the timing is off, or whether a mistake means it was never supposed to happen at all.
In this fi...
Knowing God’s love and actually feeling loved by Him can seem like two completely different things.
That gap is exactly what this episode is about. My co-host Kari Eliza of Held Right Here has spent years at the intersection of attachment science, nervous system health, and Christian faith. And what she taught me about experiencing God's love didn't just change how I pray. It shifted how I move through my w...
~ You’re reading your Bible and praying throughout the day and yet God still doesn’t feel close. You don’t have a discipline problem, so it’s got to be something else.
In this episode, I’m back in conversation with Kari Eliza, the voice behind Held Right Here, where she helps parents raise children in faith in a way that feels safe and connected rather than pressured and performative.
What Kari understands about how...
~ Does your relationship with God feel like something you’re trying to achieve?
If you have ever wondered why doing more and working harder doesn’t result in the deeper relationship you desire with God, there’s actually a really good explanation for why this happens and a way through.
In this episode, I sit down with Kari Eliza, the voice behind the Instagram account Held Right Here, where she helps parents share God ...
~ What’s the right timing for your dream?
There’s a question I hear all the time, especially from women who already have a full life:
Is this the right time to pursue my dream?
Maybe you’ve asked it too. You’re already juggling a lot. You have people you’re caring for. And yet, somewhere in the middle of all of it, there’s this quiet idea, this pull you can’t quite shake.
But instead of moving forward, you keep circling...
~ You have been thinking about this dream for a while now. Maybe a long while. And somewhere in the back of your mind, there is a quiet but persistent question: what is it going to take to finally feel ready?
This episode is for you if you have been waiting on confidence to come before you begin. Because the hard truth is that the waiting might be the very thing keeping you from the activity that would grow it.
In thi...
~ Has self-doubt ever talked you out of something God was calling you toward?
It’s more common than you think. And it might be the very thing keeping you from the dream God placed on your heart.
In this episode, I'm talking about something I see in almost every woman I coach: the tendency to downplay our abilities and wait until we feel ready before we take a single step forward. The problem is, that moment of fe...
~ Are you a Christian woman trying to figure out the next right step for a dream? You feel like God has called you to something more in midlife, but what should you do about it?
I've spent the last 10 years talking to women about their dreams. What I've learned is that most of us are not stuck because we lack talent or even faith. We're stuck because the dream feels bigger than us, and we don't k...
~ What if the thing standing between you and your dream is simply that you have never said it out loud?
In this episode, my friend and co-host Erin Straza and I get honest about what it actually takes to go after something that feels bigger than you. We talk about renewing your mind, knowing who God says you are, and why speaking the dream matters more than having a perfect plan to follow.
Before we close out the conv...
~ Have you been holding back, waiting for the perfect plan or just the right timing to go after a dream?
In this episode, I sit down with my longtime friend Erin Straza for an honest conversation about what it actually looks like to start something when you don't feel qualified, confident, or certain it's going to work.
We talk about the real cost of perfectionism and why it will knock you out every time if...
~ Have you ever felt stuck between a dream God has given you and the fear of taking the wrong step? If yes, this conversation is for you.
This month I'm joined by my friend and non-profit communications consultant Erin Straza, and together we get refreshingly honest about something so many of us quietly wrestle with: procrastination. Not the lazy kind, the kind that comes from caring deeply about getting it righ...
~ The dream has been there for a while now. You can feel it.
But every time you consider the next leap of faith, something stops you. Maybe it sounds like: "I'm not ready yet." Or "What if I'm wrong about this?" Or the most persistent one: "I don't want to waste the precious time I have left."
If that's where you are right now, this episode is for you.
To open Season 14...
I’m closing out this 10-part Habit Series with one of the simplest and most transformative practices I’ve ever picked up: daily gratitude.
In this episode, I share why spending just one or two minutes thanking God before your day begins can quietly reshape your mindset, soften pessimism, and strengthen your ability to persevere in the long haul. I’ll walk you through how I practice daily gratitude, why I keep it inte...
When it comes to creativity and taking action on our dreams, there’s a lot of talk about moving forward, but we don’t spend nearly enough time looking back.
That’s why I’m adding this brand-new habit to the Devoted Dreamers Habit Series: Scheduled Reflection. It’s a practice I didn’t include when I first launched the series, but it’s one I’ve come to see as essential for long-term faithfulness to a God-shaped dream.
H...
Most of us say we want to grow, but when it comes time to step out of our comfort zone, we hesitate. Not because we don’t care, but because trying something we’ve never done before puts us face to face with uncertainty, insecurity, and the possibility of getting it wrong.
In this eighth episode in my Habit Series, I’m inviting you to practice a simple but powerful habit: trying something new. Not restarting a habit y...
If you feel like your inbox is always demanding from you, you’re not crazy. Email is one of those sneaky little drains that doesn’t just steal time, it steals attention. And attention is necessary for stewarding a God-shaped dream.
In today’s Habit Series, I’ve invited my friend Christa Hutchins (host of Just One Simple Thing podcast) to share three simple ways to manage your email without turning it into a whole new...
For a long time, I believed I didn’t have time to sleep more. My life was full, my evenings felt like the only quiet hours I had to myself, and going to bed earlier felt like giving something up I couldn’t afford to lose. And yet, I was exhausted, foggy, short-tempered, and running on fumes most days.
In this mini episode of the Habits Series, I’m talking about sleep hygiene and why better sleep isn’t a luxury for la...
Weekly planning doesn’t have to be complicated or rigid to be purposeful. At its core, it’s simply a protected block of time where you slow down, look ahead, and decide how you want to steward the week you’ve been given.
In this mini episode of the Habits Series, I’m talking about the habit of weekly planning and why it matters, especially if you already have a full life along with a God-shaped dream that hasn’t had ...
Depending on your season of life (or the season in your hemisphere), getting outside to move your body every day can feel surprisingly hard. Maybe you’re juggling work, caring for children or aging parents, and managing everyday household responsibilities with already limited energy. Who has time to go for a walk?
In this mini episode of the Habits Series, I’m talking about why daily movement matters and how to appro...
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